பழமொழி நானூறு

Paḻamoḻi Nāṉūṟu

Four Hundred Proverbs · Each proverb illuminated by a venba verse

Four hundred proverb-and-commentary verses by Muṉṟurai Araiyaṉār, from the Patiṉeṇkīḻkaṇakku anthology. Each verse pairs a classical Tamil proverb (பழமொழி, paḻamoḻi — "old word") with a four-line venba poem that illustrates and deepens its meaning.

Unlike Tirikkaṭukam's triplets or Ciṟupañcamūlam's quintets, Paḻamoḻi Nāṉūṟu takes an existing saying from the oral tradition and asks: what does this proverb mean? The commentary verse does not restate the proverb but approaches it from an angle, placing it in a scene or offering a parallel image. The proverb is the keystone; the verse is the arch that holds it.